Inflammation of the lungs has several varieties according to the area of ​​distribution: one- or two-sided, focal, segmental, croupous, confluent and total.
Total pneumonia is dangerous because the patient can lose a whole lung, so it is necessary to start therapy on time and take the whole range of therapeutic measures.
Causes of the disease
The occurrence of pneumonia is influenced by a number of external and internal factors:
- home hygiene and patient lifestyle;
- the presence of chronic diseases;
- untimely treatment of respiratory diseases;
- reduced immunity.
Pathogens enter the lungs for other reasons. For example, too high humidity in the room causes the rapid growth of fungi on the walls, which can be inhaled by a person. Communication with other patients provokes infection and further development of bacteria and viruses in the respiratory organs.
Immunity is of great importance in the appearance of total pneumonia in a patient: weakening of the body’s defenses increases the risk of developing the disease and significantly slows down its treatment. One of the reasons for its worsening is addiction to tobacco and alcohol. Smoking and alcohol abuse irritate the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, which leads to the formation of an increased volume of sputum. It, in turn, is a good environment for the development of pathogens.
It should be noted that the risk of contracting pneumonia is greater in newborns and the elderly. The fact is that the child’s immunity is not yet sufficiently developed to fight inflammation on its own, and the adult body, as a rule, has a burden of chronic diseases under its belt.
The main symptoms
Pneumonia in the initial stages can be difficult to identify, since its signs are similar to the manifestations of other pathologies of the respiratory system in adults and children. The patient suffers from fever and cough. In the first days, it is unproductive, and after 3-4 days sputum discharge begins. The patient’s condition worsens: due to intoxication, headache, weakness, and malaise appear.
However, total pneumonia has special characteristics that distinguish it from bronchitis, pleurisy, and other inflammations of the respiratory organs:
- lack of air: it feels like you can’t breathe deeply;
- dyspnea;
- cyanosis: blue discoloration of the mucous membranes and lips;
- pallor of the skin;
- chest pain;
- shallow wheezing.
The symptoms of pneumonia never appear the same in all patients, since their severity depends on the state of health and the neglect of the disease. If the disease remains untreated, the patient’s consciousness begins to get confused, he often wants to sleep, or, conversely, he has mental agitation. Symptoms tend to become more severe at night.
Diagnostics
After the initial examination of the patient in order to draw up a general clinical picture, the therapist or pediatrician gives a referral to a narrow specialist. A number of diagnostic procedures are prescribed: a biochemical blood test, bacterial sputum culture and x-rays. Through these methods, suitable drugs and the extent of the disease are determined. For physiotherapy, it is important to know the characteristics of inflammation: left- or right-sided localization.
Therapies
The doctor should deal with the treatment of total pneumonia , since the patient cannot analyze the features of the pathology. Self-treatment is fraught with side effects and worsening of the condition, which will only aggravate the situation and prolong the therapy. Total pneumonia requires an integrated approach: medications have a major effect on the disease, and traditional medicine and physiotherapy support the general condition of the patient.
The main methods of treatment
Depending on the diagnosis made, the doctor decides whether to send the patient for out-of-hospital treatment or hospitalize. In any case, he is prescribed drug therapy, which includes:
- Antibiotics, antiviral, or antifungal drugs. The specific agent is determined after diagnosis and identification of the causative agent of the disease.
- Antitussive or expectorant medicines. It is important to remember that you cannot combine two types of cough remedies.
- Pain pills or shots. They help with headaches and chest discomfort.
- Antispasmodics. Relieve spasms of the respiratory tract.
Together with drug therapy, the patient is recommended to take funds with lactobacilli, since antibiotics kill not only the pathogenic, but also beneficial intestinal microflora. It is also worth drinking a vitamin complex.
ethnoscience
It must be remembered that non-traditional methods of treatment should not be superior to drug therapy. Traditional medicine is unable to cure total pneumonia, but it helps to ease the symptoms of the disease and bring relief to the patient.
Decoctions of medicinal herbs are involved in the weakening of cough syndrome and remove phlegm from the lungs. Rosehip tea enriches the body with vitamins, and aloe juice has an antiseptic effect.
Herbal inhalation can only be done in the chronic stage of pneumonia, since in acute inflammation, hot air will only accelerate the spread of pathogens. Also, warming compresses are indicated under certain conditions, and the patient should consult a doctor before use.
Forecast
Timeliness of treatment and the patient’s condition determine the speed and completeness of recovery. Usually, the prognosis is positive: doctors manage to achieve regression of the disease, but fibrous areas may remain. If bilateral pneumonia is limited to single segments or foci, then the risk of complications is even lower.
A favorable prognosis is achieved only with adequate therapy. Independence in this matter will not play into the hands of the patient, since treatment methods have features from case to case.
Prophylaxis
The main methods of preventing pneumonia are to strengthen the immune system. To do this, you should lead a healthy lifestyle without bad habits, temper and eat right. It is important not to lead a sedentary lifestyle, but to exercise, move more, but to the best of your ability. It is also necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the room so that pathogens cannot enter the lungs.
Complications
The consequences of total pneumonia are quite serious, as they lead to the death of the patient with incorrect or late treatment.
Pulmonary complications include gangrene, abscess, organ bleeding, pleural inflammation, and broncho-obstructive syndrome. This leads to severe respiratory failure, which causes a lack of oxygen and cell death. The brain, liver and heart are usually the first to suffer, due to which the intoxication of the body increases and failures occur in other organs. With left-sided pneumonia, the inflammatory process can go to the heart.
Next, extrapulmonary complications are connected: blood clotting disorder, abnormalities in the functioning of the cardiovascular system, meningitis, encephalitis, mental disorders and sepsis.
Total pneumonia does not require urgency: you need to start treating it at the first signs of deterioration in health. After consulting an experienced specialist, it is necessary to follow his instructions and not deviate from the prescribed dosages and procedures.